Noc Bay Trading Company

At powwows held throughout the Upper Great Lakes the splendid Native American regalia worn by participants is always a highlight. It's part of contemporary Indian culture for participants to make their own regalia as a way of reconnecting with traditions. Not every powwow participant has time to kill a deer and tan its hide, however, or to bring down a grouse to prepare a decorative ruff, or to make bone beads, so there's a real need for the quality traditional materials sold at this unusual shop.
Jewelry-making findings are also on hand. The focus is on Eastern Woodlands and Great Lakes Indian cultures; items about Plains or Southwestern Indian arts are quite peripheral. The small showroom is "a fascinating place," in the words of a local artist, with "a marvelous selection of beautiful things, well displayed." In addition to handcrafted traditional Indian objects, merchandise includes Pendleton Indian and muchacho blankets. This is not the place to find rubber tomahawks. Some chemically dyed feathers are used in inexpensive kits for beginner projects, but most dyes are natural. Glass beads and other trade goods that became part of Indian traditions are sold here, too.
Loren Woerpel got into the business by accident over 20 years ago when local Boy Scouts enthusiastically took up the Indian crafts he taught, thanks to a temporary hiatus in school athletics due to a school millage failure. Loren worked for the U. S. Forest Service then, so his wife, Donna, ran the Native American crafts supplies business along with her candle making. Now they have their own building, a 1904 storefront they have renovated. The Woerpels have no Indian ancestry, but some employees do. Most business here is through Noc Bay's mail-order catalog, and many if not most customers have Great Lakes Indian ancestry. Same-day or next-day shipping is a point of pride.

1133 Washington Ave., a block east of U.S. 2/U.S. 41 across from the U. P. State Fairgrounds. Turn east onto 12th Ave. at Bob's Buggy Wash & you'll see store at the next corner. www.nocbay.com (906) 789-0505. Open Mon-Fri 9-5, Sat 10-4 Eastern Time. Handicap accessible.

Return to Escanaba

Best of the Best U.P. Maps

Incredibly Useful!
Hunt's Map Guide to the Upper Peninsula • Favorite hikes, beaches, restaurants, shops, lighthouses, scenic drives, waterfalls, & much more
• 13 detailed U.P. maps
• Full color, on sturdy, water-resistant paper
• Folds out to 12”x38”
• Only $6.95
To learn more & buy online, click here